An owl stuck in the grill of a car prompted an unlikely rescue story after a driver failed to notice the giant bird for hours after hitting it.
Driver Sonji Coney Williams was headed south on the Florida turnpike, going about 60 miles per hour, when she saw a bird fly in front of her SUV. It was dark and the woman assumed that she had killed the bird, so she continued on.
But the owl wasn’t dead; it was stuck in her grill. She continued driving for more than an hour through Central Florida until she reached her destination.
She didn’t find out about the giant, yell0w-eyed owl until a day later. Williams said she was going to run some errands when a family flagged her down and told her about the great bird stuck in her grill. It turned out to be a great horned owl, a species common in that region of Florida.
“I’ve never experienced anything like this before in my life,” Williams told WTVC as crews worked on getting the owl stuck in the grill back free and into the wild.
Afraid to free the bird herself, Williams called Florida Fish and Wildlife, which sent an officer to open the hood and gently free the owl stuck in the grill.
Williams said she felt guilt for the owl stuck in her grill and cried as she recounted the incident to a news crew.
The story of the owl stuck in the grill was a hit on the internet, with several outlets picking up the story and stations from Florida to North Carolina featuring the story.
Wow, that bird looks PISSED!
That is what I was thinking when I see his eyes, he looks a bit pissed off!
Pay attention to what you see, out of your wind shield. Be on the lookout for animals, while behind the wheel. This is their world also.
glad the owl was ok.
That poor owl was like "WHOO are you? and why did you hit me!" haha. I'm glad the owl's okay~.
I'm glad Mr.Owl is going to be fine…driver should't feel guilty & she did the right thing by calling in the Pros!
He has his EYES ON YOU!
WHOOOOOOO knew
I was taking off from a stop light years ago & a flock of birds were standing on the median next to my car, just as I started to go they took off in the same direction then turned back while trying to gain altitude. Several of them flew into my van window & grill. I got back to the office & checked the front of my van for damage (like any normal person would do) And there were 2 birds stuck in the grill. I was broken hearted but couldn't touch them, my boss pulled them out & to our surprise one was still alive & well! So always check your vehicle as soon as possible, you never know what you might find.
Hey lady, it's okay. You didn't mean to hurt it. It will be alright.
Hope this owl isn't too severely injured. I usually stop to make sure anything I have hit is actually dead(but this was the fla. turnpike so guess that wouldn't be good!) but you wouldn't thnk to check your grill necessarily.
This is their happy look too tho!
This owl looks like it's trying to outstare the camera!
http://www.outstared.com
yeah I made a meme as soon as I saw the picture. lolol
This lady didnt go out hunting birds or critters–it flew into her vehicle. She had no choice. She paid attention, she saw it, she saw it hit. What more would you ask for? Swerving when faced with wildlife is never a good idea–you place yourself, your passengers, and others in danger by a rapid change of direction. The price paid is steep, I am a lover of wildlife myself, but i also understand, and teach my daughter, never, ever react to a bird, a squirrel, dog, cat, whatever if its too late to miss it. I dont need a safe cat and an injured daughter.
Can you see me now?
Probably getting it's drink on with some old southern crows…."That was some " WHOOTenNanny!
Hiding from the new tax codes? They will find you.
Animals are everywhere. To everybody that drives a vehicle. Please be aware of wild animals crossing roads,or flying to close. If you can slow down and let them go on their way.
This happened to me about 2 years ago. A bird flew in front of my grill on a truck I was driving, and I didn't see it fly out, but I also didn't see it on the ground either so I just assumed it made out ok. So after a round trip of about 20 miles I returned back with the truck and as I was walking away I heard flapping and scratching. I looked back and inside the grill was a LIVE bird–trapped beause of the louvre like contour of the grill. I'm like I don't believe it…it must be badly injured but I couldn't leave the bird in there but how would I get it out? Well, I stuck my hand through the lowest slot and the bird hopped away but under the upper slot and ended up on the outside of the grill. Now I'm thinking….no way it got sucked in there and can fly. As I reached for it to put it on the ground, it hopped off the grill flapped a few times in front of me, then took off like a bullet. I watched it fly for at least an 1/8th of a mile where it disappeared among a group of other birds. Weirdest encounter I've ever had with wildlife.